Combined dental powder dispenser and brush holder



April 13, 1948. F. J.'HOFMANN 2,439,429

COM BINED DENTAL POWDER DISPENSER AND BRUSH HOLDER Filed Aug. 25, 1945Fame-"1. Fizz-#2. i/a 20 4? '5 C/My Patented Apr. 13, 1948 UNITED[STATES COMBINED DENTAL POWDER DISPENSER AND BRUSH HOLDER Frank J.Hofmann, New York, N. Y.-

Application August 25, 1945, Serial No. 612,656

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to an improved dispenser and holder for toothbrushes and one of its objects is to provide a holder for a tooth brushwith means for dispensing dental or tooth powder, so arranged that itwill not interfere with the use of the holder for keeping and removingthe tooth brush.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tubular holder for toothbrushes, with a separate container for tooth or dental powder, soarranged that the powder container will discharge through a side openingwhich registers with a side opening of the tubular holder, and which maybe closed .by means of a closure cap mounted to turn on the tubularholder.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention comprisescertain new and useful constructions, combinations and arrangements ofparts, clearly described in the following specification, and fullyillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the combined holder andpowder dispenser, shown partly in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, lookingin the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of a modified form.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the cap thereof.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which show the practicalembodiment of the invention, 5 designates a cylindrical tube, which maybe of plastic material or of metal or other material, and which isconstructed on its lower end with rolled screw threads 6, engaged by therolled threads of the bottom closure cap I, which is formed with a hole8 for ventilation.

Within the cylindrical tube 5 a powder container 9 is disposed. Thiscontainer is closed by the bottom end wall l0, and is provided with adetachable closure II in its upper end.

The Wall of the container 9 is formed with a dispensing hole l2, whichis held in close relation to the dispensing hole [3 of the tubularholder 5,

.place in the tubular holder 5.

The upper end of the tubular holder 5 is formed with rolled screwthreads, which are engaged by the closure cap l8, which is provided withdisthan the tubular holder 5, and is held against one side of thetubular holder 5 by the spring clips M and IS. A space 2| is thusprovided between the opposite side of the holder 5 and the adjacent sideof the container 9, to receive the handle 22 of the tooth brush 23, thebrush head of which fits in the space 24 below the lower end of thepowder container 9. This tooth brush is withdrawn through the lower endof the container, by removing the closure cap 1, and is replaced whenthis cap is removed, through the lower end of the holder 5.

When the brush is removed from the holder the upper closure cap 18 maybe turned to dispensing position, and the dental powder deposited on thetufts of the brush head by slightly agitating the combined unit.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I show a slightly modified arrangement of thedispensing hole. The upper end of the tubular holder 5 is provided withan end wall 25, which is formed with a concentric slot, of crescentform, 26, and the closure cap I8?) is provided with a single dispensinghole 21, which may be placed in registration with the slot 26 by turningthe cap.

In this form of the invention the tooth powder is dispensed from theupper end of the holder.

The combined holder and powder dispenser can be manufactured and sold ata lower price, and provides means for keeping the tooth powder supplyalways close to the individual tooth brush, so that only the proper userof the brush will have access to the tooth powder supply.

It is long been an accepted and proper practice for each person to havehis or her own tooth brush, and by means of my invention provision ismade for giving each brush user an individual supply of tooth powder,which will always be protected against spilling and exposure to water.

It is understood that various changes in the details of construction,their combination and arrangement, may be made, within the scope of theinvention, as defined by the claim hereof.

Having described my invention, I claim as new:

In combination, a cylindrical outer case, a closure for the lower end ofsaid case, the upper end of the case having screw threads and adispensing opening, a closure cap threaded on said screw threads andprovided with a dispensing opening which may be moved into registrationand out of registration with the first-named dispensing opening byturning said closure cap on said screw threads, at dentifrice powdercontainer disposed in the outer case and provided with a dispensingopening registered with the first named dispensing opening, saidcontainer having an open upper end closed by said closure cap and beingconsiderably-smaller'than the outer case, clips enclosing said containerpartly and securing the same within the outer case in eccentric positiontherein, the container also being shorter than the outer case, and atooth brush having its brush head disposed between the lower ends of theouter 15 2,180,226

4 case and the container and its handle between the adjacent sides ofthe outer case and container and withdrawable through the lower end ofthe outer case.

FRANK J. HOFMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in thefi1B"0f.thi'S patent:

UNI "TED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,32%1'3'3 Boss Dec. 9, 1919 19615161 Neififiiers June 5, 1934 Eaton Nov. 14, 1939

